Optimism, Harmony and Sincerity: The Translation and Interpretation of Two Tujia Enshi Folk Songs

Abstract

As one of the typical forms of Tujia culture, Tujia folk songs have colorful forms and profound contents. It reflects the cultural psychology and humanistic spirit of Tujia people who are hardworking, sincere, resolute, united, tolerant, pioneering and innovative. Enshi Tujia folk song is the Tujia people’s tribute to life, the praise of life, and the singing of love. Its unique artistic charm not only belongs to the Tujia people, but also belongs to China, and should belong to all mankind. Therefore, through the translation and interpretation of two Enshi Tujia folk songs, this article hopes to find out the rules of the linguistic artistry of Tujia folk songs and the socio-cultural characteristics they reflect, so that Tujia culture can be widely inherited and carried forward in this translation and interpretation. It is found that dialect, proverbs and colloquial words are often used in the lyrics of Enshi Tujia folk songs. In terms of rhythm, it often uses lining words and ending rhyme to set off the atmosphere. In terms of structure, its sentence pattern is neat, and the structural style of "five sentences" folk song has a unique form. In terms of rhetoric, folk songs like to use analogy and metaphor, which makes folk songs sound vivid and joyful. In addition, these two Enshi folk songs are integrated with Tujia folk cultures and daily life. They not only express the optimistic life attitude and passionate character of Tujia people, but also vividly describe the results of Tujia people's harmonious coexistence with nature, and show their sincere concept of love and traditional folk customs.